Mason Mount scored a stunning goal but it wasn’t enough to stop Chelsea drawing 1-1 with Everton at Stamford Bridge.
The game was marked as much by absences as who was able to play, with Covid-19 devastating the Blues camp and causing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to miss the match. As a result Chelsea had Christian Pulisic lead the line ahead of Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount.
And it was Mount who took the goalscoring burden on his shoulders. With Reece James full of his usual creative wizardry and the rest of the team out to pick up their second straight Premier League win since the end of the October when they beat Norwich and Newcastle, Mount knew that if he could just add the killer touch the Blues could make it happen.
Mount came into the game with the kind of form to make it happen, of course. He had scored three goals in his last three Premier League games for the Blues. After a spotty start to the season he was well and truly in the groove now.
Mount’s performance at the Bridge was very much that of a man in form. He was everywhere, running in behind, linking the play, taking shots. Mount had more shots than Everton (6 to 5) and more shots on target (4 to 3). He knew Chelsea needed something and he was determined to give it to them. One chance in particular was superb and forced a miraculous low save from Jordan Pickford.
Mason Mount's game by numbers vs. Everton:
80.5% pass accuracy
66 touches
7 crosses (most)
6 shots on goal (most)
4 shots on target (most)
2 tackles
1 chance created
1 goalAnd the youngest Blues man to score in four consecutive Premier League games.? pic.twitter.com/nr0LvpirAI
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 16, 2021
After over an hour of scratching at the door, he finally broke through. A gorgeous pass from Reece James (who else?) allowed him to race in behind a superb Everton defence and when he was 1-v-1 with Jordan Pickford, he waited for his compatriot to blink first because he would know that Pickford always blinks first and sure enough Pickford blinked first and stepped away from his post.
Pickford hadn’t stepped away much, mind you, but it was enough to give Mount a window of opportunity and he absolutely hammered the ball into the near-post beyond a helpless Pickford and into the back of the net. Bang. 1-0. And Mount scores in four consecutive Premier League games, the youngest Chelsea player to do so.
That goal should have delivered a much-needed win for the Blues. But Everton fought back and stole a goal from a wonderfully executed free-kick taken by young Anthony Gordon and bundled in by even younger Jarrad Branthwaite. A magical moment for the beleaguered Toffees and a hard-earned point was their reward.
For Chelsea, the result was devastating. It was only a draw, sure, but it leaves them on 37 points, three behind Liverpool and now four behind league leaders Manchester City. They’ve gone from being one game back to two, and given Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner could be set for spells on the sidelines due to Covid and they haven’t won consecutive league games in six weeks, Thomas Tuchel will know this was a very damaging draw, especially as Liverpool did pick up a win.
Reece James’ first two Premier League seasons:
◎ 66 games
◉ 4 assistsReece James in the Premier League this season:
◎ 13 games
◉ 5 assistsRJ is on create mode this season. ? pic.twitter.com/2D2XmzsQnw
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 16, 2021
Tuchel will now be looking to Chelsea’s trip to Wolves at the weekend as a way for Chelsea to find their form again, and he knows that Mason Mount will be utterly essential to Chelsea getting back to winning ways.
The in-form goalscorer’s strike tonight left him on 7 goals for the season so far, just two behind his Premier League best of 9 set last season. With half a season still to go you can be sure that Mount is taking his game to new heights this season, and if the Blues can tighten up at the back again then those goals will start delivering wins for sure.
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